The Milwaukee Bucks announced on Tuesday star guard Damian Lillard has deep vein thrombosis — a little more than a month after San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder, ending his season.
Lillard is receiving blood-thinning medication, and the Bucks have said he will be out indefinitely. Lillard and Wembanyama aren’t the only athletes or basketball players to suffer from blood clots; several players, including Chris Bosh, Brandon Ingram and Ausar Thompson, have had similar medical issues. Although it is not yet known how their diagnosises will affect their careers long term, past cases in sports can serve as a reference point.
What is deep vein thrombosis?
Deep vein thrombosis is a condition where a blood clot forms in a vein deep within the body. The clots are most common in the legs, per the Mayo Clinic, but can occur in other deep veins in the arms, pelvis and shoulders.
With deep vein thrombosis, the biggest risk is that the clots can dislodge and travel through the bloodstream. A pulmonary embolism, which is more dangerous, can occur when a clot gets stuck in the lungs and blocks blood flow.
Deep vein thrombosis is most common in people who are older or who do not exercise much. Obviously, that is not the case with the 21-year-old Wembanyama. But the condition can occur without typical risk factors. A side effect is pain and swelling in the affected area, which is often how the clot is discovered.
Blood thinners can help treat the condition, but it takes time for the clot to dissolve. Wembanyama will likely miss several months, or longer, while recovering.
Other athletes who have suffered from similar conditions
Blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli, are not uncommon in the sports world, especially in the NBA. In recent years, multiple basketball players have been diagnosed with similar conditions and have missed time as a result.
These medical histories have affected players in different ways. Some players have returned to the game with no issues; others have had their careers cut short.
Here are some recent athletes with similar conditions:
Damian Lillard
The Milwaukee Bucks‘ star point guard was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf on March 25 with 11 games remaining in the regular season and the team battling the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers for a higher playoff seed.
Lillard, 34, was sidelined indefinitely after going on blood thinning medication and would undergo testing regularly. The Bucks said in a statement that doctors said his condition was unlikely to occur again. Lillard himself said that he expected to move past this and continue his career. He was initially diagnosed with a calf strain.
Victor Wembanyama
A blood clot was discovered in Wembanyama’s right shoulder after he complained of weakness in his right arm during All-Star weekend. Wembanyama had been experiencing discomfort in the days before the break, and the Spurs ruled him out for the remainder of the season while he gets treatment.
The Spurs have remained optimistic Wembanyama will be ready for the start of next season and won’t have long-term complications.
Brandon Ingram
Ingram and Wembanyama have the most in common in terms of medical history. Like Wembanyama, Ingram was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder in March 2019 and missed the rest of the 2018-19 season. The forward was 22 years old at the time.
But the condition did not stop Ingram’s progression in the league. A few months after being diagnosed, Ingram was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he put up a massive 2019-20 season, posting career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Ingram earned his only All-Star nod that year and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player at the end of the 2020 regular season.
Chris Bosh
Two-time NBA champion and 11-time All-Star Chris Bosh is one of the better-known examples of how blood clots can affect a career. Bosh, who struggled with blood clots throughout the final years of his career, officially retirement from the NBA in 2019, more than three years after playing his final game at the age of 31.
During his tenure with the Miami Heat, Bosh missed the second half of the 2015 season after a blood clot migrated to his lungs and got another clot in his leg the following year. (Bosh’s first blood clot was diagnosed 10 years, almost to the day, before Wembanyama’s was announced.)
The recurring medical issue resulted in physicians and the Heat pressuring Bosh into sitting out for the year. After Bosh failed a physical and missed the 2016-2017 season, the NBA ruled that the condition was a career-ending illness.
Miami eventually waived the All-Star in 2017, pledging to retire Bosh’s jersey. The Heat made good on that promise two years later, retiring Bosh’s No. 1 in an emotional ceremony in 2019. A month prior, Bosh had officially retired from the NBA, despite having attempted multiple comebacks in the intervening years.
Ausar Thompson
Another young player, Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson, has also struggled with blood clots in the past year. Thompson, 22, was diagnosed with a blood clot in March 2024, missing eight months as a result of the issue.
Thompson returned to the court in November after being medically cleared. Since returning, he’s become the Pistons’ starting small forward, averaging 9.3 points, five rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 33 games (22 starts).
Anderson Varejão
Brazilian forward Anderson Varejão also suffered from life-threatening blood clots. In January 2013, Varejão, then 30 years old and playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was hospitalized with a blood clot in his left lung.
The pulmonary embolism was discovered after Varejão told the Cavaliers’ medical staff that he was feeling back and chest pain. After a CT scan revealed the blood clot, Varejão went quickly into surgery. A month afterward, Varejão told Yahoo Sports that he was “very lucky” that the clot was discovered and removed before causing any major harm.
Varejão missed the rest of the 2012-2013 season but returned to the court the following year. He played for a few more seasons in the NBA and Europe before retiring from pro basketball in 2021.
Mirza Teletović
Bosnian forward Mirza Teletović’s relatively short NBA career was also affected by blood clots. Teletović, who got his start in European leagues, joined the Brooklyn Nets in 2012.
In January 2015, Teletović was hospitalized with shortness of breath and later diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolus, with multiple blood clots in his lungs. Teletović went on blood thinners and returned to the court the next season with the Phoenix Suns, having signed with the team in the offseason.
But his condition later returned. In 2017, while playing with the Milwaukee Bucks, Teletović was once again diagnosed with pulmonary emboli in both lungs, and was waived by the Bucks a few months later. Teletović retired from the NBA in 2018 at the age of 33.
Serena Williams
While not a basketball player, tennis superstar Serena Williams is a success story when it comes to returning from blood clots. Williams was first diagnosed with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism in early 2011 and was hospitalized as a result of multiple blood clots in both lungs.
Williams returned to the court later that year, reaching the final of the U.S. Open. In 2012, she won her fifth Wimbledon singles title and her first Olympic gold medal, completing a career Golden Slam.
In 2018, after giving birth to her daughter Olympia, Williams suffered a number of complications, including another pulmonary embolism that required multiple surgeries. But just a year later, she returned to the top 10 in the tennis standings. Williams retired from tennis a few years later, playing her final match in 2022.
This news was originally published on this post .
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